


coup de foudre

by serein (koshitsu_kamira)



Series: Polaroid Snapshots [8]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, Crushes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9810779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koshitsu_kamira/pseuds/serein
Summary: Living in the shadow of his best friend, Jaehyun never expects Taeyong's brother to pay attention to him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [NCTprompts_II](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/NCTprompts_II) collection. 



> Coup de foudre ['stroke of lightning']
> 
>  
> 
> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> Living in the shadow of his best friend, Jaehyun never expects Taeyong's brother to pay attention to him.

The digital clock on the microwave oven turned midnight when Jaehyun concluded he would probably fail the exam tomorrow thanks to his sorry excuse for a best friend, Taeyong; fidgeting restlessly in his seat, he swallowed a yawn and made a sad attempt at concentrating on the lecture notes completed with helpful notations, only his eyes kept straying back to the figure sitting across the kitchen table. Taeil’s face was illuminated by the laptop screen, the delicate frame of his glasses flickering white gold as he moved, the minute angle change causing the shadows to morph, further enhance his elegant features, subsequently draw Jaehyun’s attention to high cheekbones, the cleft underneath his pink lips, all details the younger boy had imagined touching before.

The intense attraction toward Taeil was a rather novel development, even though Jaehyun had definitely noticed the elder as puberty hit, which was only natural seeing how he found most people enticing in his hormone ridden state; however, he never really considered approaching the other man, certain that his little brother, Taeyong would quickly end his existence, their friendship be damned. Therefore Jaehyun was understandably caught off guard while said overprotective brother explained why he was Taeil’s ideal type and vice versa, rudely interrupting their study date, “ _ you prefer older guys, someone intelligent and soft-spoken, _ ” he ticked the attributes off on his fingers, tone excited, climbing half a note higher, “ _ cuddly too, _ ” he added, extremely satisfied. Ever since Jaehyun had come out during high school senior year, Taeyong made it a mission to set up his friend with The One, hence the incessant questions regarding the random passersby they could see from the coffee shop window, like “ _ would you date the dude around the corner? _ ” or “ _ do you find the waiter cute? _ ”

Usually Jaehyun didn’t mind the Q&A sessions, aware that his best friend still felt guilty for acting inconsiderate years ago, amidst teenage angst and self-absorption: “ _ I don’t care about girls, _ ” he had said on the way home from the private academy they both attended, mind a thousand miles away, pondering whether he would get into his chosen university, cutting short Taeyong’s love sick ramble; “ _ oh, cool, _ ” the other commented airily, taking a pause, “ _ so do you think I should ask Yerin out? _ ” Jaehyun remembered frustration creeping in, his steps quickening until Taeyong had to maintain a light jog to keep pace, looking confused by the reaction; “ _ look, it’s fine if you like boys, _ ” he stated a few days later mid-lunch, the background noise almost drowning out his words, “ _ I was just surprised, but that doesn’t mean I won’t support you, _ ” he asserted, gaze serious. 

“Although I’m grateful for the encouragement,” Jaehyun mumbled over his second latte of the afternoon, trying to fight mental exhaustion, “you are speaking nonsense,” he gave Taeyong the stink eye, considering the discussion finished, except the other smirked, unflappable, “come on, Taeil’s track record points straight in your direction,” he blabbered, grin widening. Jaehyun sighed, cursing inwardly because curiosity probably showed up on his face bright and clear, “this is a really bad joke,” he lamented, wringing his fingers, a nervous habit, “why are you pimping your brother out anyway?” he asked, frowning as Taeyong laughed, wayward arms nearly knocking off the dessert plate, “did he encounter a dry spell or something?” At that point, his best friend began cackling, utterly careless if they got banned from entering the café, whereas Jaehyun hunched down, using the laptop as a makeshift shield, “please control yourself,” he sputtered, frantically kicking at Taeyong’s shin, hoping the other would quit making such a racket; eventually, the other boy fell silent, lips still twitching insolently, “he likes you, idiot.”

Despite Taeyong’s overflowing confidence that Jaehyun was a good match for Taeil, frankly, he felt lacking compared to the brothers who enjoyed immerse popularity wherever they went, not at all a surprise, since they were incredibly beautiful and charming, possessing the kind of personal magic, gentle charisma which captivated ordinary mortals, including himself. Other people might have found the way Taeyong eclipsed Jaehyun’s presence disconcerting, aggravating even, blind to the allure surrounding the boy, the peculiar magnetism his brother also retained, though the elder appeared much less interesting at first glance, a little boring perhaps, yet behind the nondescript clothes, quiet behaviour, Taeil hid an entire spectrum of colours. Taeil was an uncharted territory Jaehyun wished to discover, the shades he could paint the twilight sky, a far-flung daydream he entertained while straddling the bound of sleep and the waking hours, a notion forgotten before he fully drained the coffee cup, reality kicking in with a punch towards the heart, and he reverted to his orbit, a satellite around Taeyong’s planet.

“I should get going,” Jaehyun announced, then pushed away from the table, his chair screeching against the floorboard, startling the older boy out of typing up a storm, probably contracts or other legal documents, “thanks for helping me,” he indicated the business case studies Taeil had explained carefully, meanwhile he struggled taking notes and paying attention, too distracted. Taeil frowned, a tiny crease surfacing between his eyebrows, glasses tipping down his nose, “I will drive you home,” he offered after some consideration, already shutting the laptop close before the younger could have protested, “it’s very late, I think buses stopped running by now,” he added, pocketing his phone, shuffling over the counter to grab the car key. Fighting a blush, Jaehyun stared fixedly at his shoes, conscious that his facial expressions were painfully transparent when he was touched, a disposition which seemed growing worse in Taeil’s proximity as Taeyong loved to bring up all the  _ damn _ time; stuttering another thank you, he shrugged on his padded jackets, pulling the furry hood across his eyes, head lowered.

Taeil’s car smelled of tonka beans, the warm scent and the cozy temperature lulling Jaehyun near sleep, who kept blinking long, arms tightening around his backpack while he watched the downtown scenery, illuminated storefronts, flickering neon ads, headlights speeding past the deserted buildings; “turn left 100 meters ahead,” recited the navigation system, the female voice blending in with the slight engine noise. Nudging the safety belt, Jaehyun sneaked a glance at the elder, admiring the defined line of his profile, fingers curling as he imagined tracing the skin, the five o’clock shadow along his chin, and petting Taeil’s disheveled hair, palms settling on the nape, a possessive touch; swallowing, he looked back outside, exhale relieved upon spotting the dorms in front.

“Good luck for tomorrow,” Taeil said, having finished parking, a sleepy grin curling up the edges of his mouth, a fond smile Jaehyun suddenly wanted to kiss right off his face, “I will treat you to lunch afterwards,” he promised, eyes crinkling with mirth - if anyone asked, the younger simply couldn’t recall what happened next for he only remembered leaning over the gearbox, bridging the minute distance separating the two. Taeil’s lips were tacky from chapstick, soft against his own chapped and bitten pair as Jaehyun pressed on insistently, hands cupping the other’s jaw, subtly adjusting the angle, careless that the seat belt was cutting uncomfortably into his stomach,  _ Taeyong, you better prove me right _ , he thought, leaning away a little; “finally,” the elder chuckled, tone lilting, then gave the other boy a quick peck, “You are a bit slow for such a smart kid.”


End file.
